One Week Left
by RulerOfNarnia
Summary: Aria is leaving for college Friday night and only has a week left to say goodbye to her friends, family, and especially Ezra.


"I can't stand the thought of you leaving," Ezra said quietly over the phone. Aria let out a long sigh, feeling her heart already breaking just thinking about what was to come in the next week. She rolled over and looked at the small numbers of her alarm clock displaying the time. It was 1:30 in the morning, the couple had manage to talk on the phone for three and a half hours before finally bringing up the subject that had been looming over their heads sense December when Aria had started submitting applications.

For a while, they would just ignore the issue, pretend like nothing was happening. They would pretend to be blissfully ignorant to the fact that Aria could possibly be spending the next four years of her life miles away from Ezra. Ezra wouldn't show how much it killed him to see her looking through brochures from colleges that were miles away. Aria was extremely careful to clear the search history after using Ezra's laptop so he wouldn't know that she was looking up colleges across the country.

They spent the majority of her senior year in a state of obnoxious ignorance. The topic was rarely brought up and avoided at all costs, but it still hung above them like a threatening rain cloud, always casting them in dark. They were aware that they were living in the shadows of an unavoidable storm, but they kept holding on. While everyone else faced the storm and moved on, Aria and Ezra were staying out in the rain.

She could tell when she kissed him. Very rarely, was he ever slow and leisurely, when they would make love, he would never take his time. They would always rush right into it, full of passion and lust. And desperation. They didn't have the luxury of time to properly worship every inch of each others bodies, but they did their best. Aria could feel the difference in Ezra body the closer the day came for her to leave. Now every kiss was desperate, every caress was a plea, every time he would thrust into her it was a cry for her. She cried back for him too.

The first time that they had ever brought up college was October of her senior year after spending the entire summer together without a cloud in the sky.

_"We need to talk." Ezra said clearly upset. Aria had just opened the door to his Hollis office, had barely took a step in, and was greeted by a distraught Ezra. He was sitting up straight in his plush desk chair with his leg vibrating nervously. Aria made her way to the couch and put her school bags down. _

_"My day was fine, thanks for asking," Aria replied curtly. She heard the distinct squeak of leather and the sound of wheels rolling against hardwood floor. _

_"Aria," his voice was desperate; pleading. She quickly looked up at him standing behind her. Up close she saw his disheveled hair, the bags under his eyes, the wrinkles of his shirt that she clearly remembered him wearing yesterday before she left his apartment. His eyes conveyed the chaos inside him that he had clearly been dealing with long enough to cause him lack of sleep. She had seen him nearly twenty hours ago and he had been fine. He had been much better than just fine. It was a huge contrast to see him here now tormented by something. What could have happened after she left to have caused him to appear like this? Their relationship was announced publicly and her parents had warmed up to the idea of them together, well warmed up enough that she could spend evenings with himat his apartment as long as she was home by 11:00. _

_"Are you okay? What wrong?" Her arms immediately went around his neck to rest her hands in his hair as her body pressed lightly up against him. Ezra's head hung low as he shook it sadly. He took a step away from her and her arms slowly dropped from his neck. Was he mad at her? He reached for her hands and held them tightly in his. He slumped down onto the couch behind them and pulled her down to him by their entangled hands. She landed on his lap with her feet over the edge of the couch. His hands left hers as they moved to circle her waist, coddling her against him. She breathed in his warm scent. She knew that the cologne he wore was advertised as 'smells like palm trees, sunshine &freedom' but Aria thought it smelled more like new books. Ezra nuzzled his head on top of hers and placed a light kiss on her forehead. At least she knew now that he wasn't upset with her. She pressed a light kiss on the side of his neck where a dark colored bruise had formed from when she had sucked on his neck the night before. She knew for a fact that if she were to rid him of his wrinkled shirt you would be able to see the dark colored hickies sprinkled across his skin. She looked up at him and could see that he was still struggling with how to say what he so desperately needed to talk to her about. She didn't mind. She remained patient, lying in his arms, listening to his breathing. It was like when they would fall asleep after a passionate nights in the sheets. His sweaty body would collapse on top of hers and she would relish in the feeling of his weight pressing down on her. Their sweaty chests stuck together, his labored breaths hot in her ear drowned out the sound of her own racing heart. Eventually he would get up and deal with the condom and she would get up to use the bathroom, but when they would return they would return to his bed, Aria would wrap herself up in the blanket of his arms, listening to the lullaby of their synchronized breaths. _

_"Where do you see us in a year?" His voice was quiet and raw. This was the voice of a small worried child. She sat up straighter in his lap so she could get a better look at his face. _

_"What do you mean?" She looked up at him confused. With her thumb, she traced over the dark creases that had formed in between his eyebrows as he closed his eyes, letting the sadness and pain play across his features. Aria was alarmed by how pained he seemed to be, but instead of interrupting, she stayed silent and let him decipher through all the trouble in his mind_

_"Is there a place for me in your future?" His blue eyes finally opened to meet hers. She saw the hurt expression on her face reflected in his dark pupils. _

_"Of course. You're the only thing in my life that I'm sure about," she whispered to him. Her hands returned to his face where she stroked the stubble on his cheeks, liking the scratchy feeling against her thumbs. She had no idea what had sparked such a conversation. She thought Ezra was aware of how serious she treated their relationship. In the ever unstable status of her parents relationship and the uncertainty that was her future education and career, Ezra was the one thing that was 100% guaranteed to always be there. In every scenario of the future she imagined, he was always there, "Ezra, why would you ask something like that?" _

_"Because... because you can't go to London," his voice was pained but with a tone of finality. He had made up his mind and had this idea running around his head again and again._

_"London?" She was confused. They had never talked about the place before and she was at a loss. _

_"For college... I don't want you to go to London."_

_"Where did you get Lon-"_

_"You left the website up on my computer," he started to explain, "When you left last night, I went to use my computer to read my emails and on the screen... you- you left the website for Kingston University up. The writing school in London? You left the website up. And- and... I don't want to be that kind of boyfriend who tries to dictate every part of your life, and, a-and I want you- I need you to be happy and follow your dreams and not let me get in the way of that. I need you to be happy. and part of me wants to tell you that when you choose where you're applying to, to just ignore me completely because I want you to live a normal teenage life and not let me get in the way of that. But, the other part of me wants you to think of us, and not go anywhere where you would be farther than an hour drive away because whenever I think, or plan for the future, I always think about you. There's never been a time where I haven't made a decision without having a little image of you in the back of mind. And I know London is beautiful and you'd love it a lot, but I know that if you spent the next four years that far away that I don't think we would work out. I just- I need to be able to see you- physically see you and be able to hold you in my arms for more than three or four times a year during holiday breaks... and the time difference would kill us. I know I'm being selfish, trust me, I am highly aware that this is a complete selfish and asshole thing for me to do, and that I'm being such a dick, but I just needed you to know that, before you made your decision," Ezra looked relieved, seeing as though he had kept all that bottled up for at least a solid twenty hours. He looked down at Aria nervously, waiting to be yelled at or broken up with. Aria repositioned herself so that she was straddling Ezra's lap, her thighs on either side of his legs and held his face in her hands. _

_"I don't want to go to college in London," Aria said with a sweet smile. _

_"But you were looking at-"_

_"A friend of my mom's went there and was telling me about it. But it isn't even an option. I'm not applying there," Aria watched as her words put her boyfriend at ease as he started to return her smile. _

_"Because of me?"_

_"Because of financial reasons, because I'm not in love with their program, because none of my credits would transfer, because I'd be way to far from my gorgeous man," Aria wound her fingers in the back of his hear and felt the waves twist around her fingers as she lightly scratched his scalp. She completely understood Ezra's outburst and was actually very glad it had happened, she liked the fact that he was thinking of a future with her, and that he did understand that she was moving away for college. She would be lying if she said that thinking of her future with Ezra didn't keep her up to the early hours of the morning every once and a while. Her brain would be racing with thoughts of college and future and it had scared her that Ezra had not acknowledged the topic of her leaving._

_"That being said, don't expect me to go to Hollis just so I'll be in walking distance of you," Ezra nodded his head profusely, understanding that Aria wanted to leave Rosewood without leaving him. _

_"Absolutely." _

_"Good, so, no more freaking out?" Aria questioned Ezra, her hands started to undue his tie while she smiled radiantly down at him. _

_"Yeah, no more freaking out. At least, until you do actually move away for college." _

And now she was moving away for college, but Ezra was keeping it together. They still hadn't really discussed the topic at full length, but Aria realized it wasn't because he didn't picture them staying together, or it wasn't because he didn't care, it was because the thought of her leaving for college physically hurt him. He didn't want to think about her not being around.

"Aria?" His voice called through the phone, searching for her. It was the same voice he would use when he would wake up from spending the night together and she wasn't still warped up in his embrace. He would reach an arm out for her, and finding her side empty, would call out for her, trying to get her to come back to bed.

"I'm still here," she answered quietly.

"What are you thinking about?" His voice was tired, he was undoubtedly lying in his bed, fighting off sleep to try and remain on the phone with her. Aria felt the same way. If it was up to her, she would have fallen asleep hours ago, however, there was something inside of her that wouldn't let her body succumb to sleep and wanted to take advantage of every last minute that she had with Ezra before she was moved off to New York.

"What it feels like to wake up with you"

"Don't say things like that, now I'm thinking about that too."  
Aria laughed and wished that thinking of her waking up next to him wasn't such an impossible thought. She wanted to feel the tickle of his leg hair as their limbs continued to be intertwined from their activities the night before. She wanted to wake up in a cocoon of his warmth and aroma and lay in his arms until he began to stir.

"I love how your skin feels so soft against mine," Ezra velvety voice caressed her through the phone. Aria grinned silently, wishing she could tucked away in his arms now and have his deep voice caress away all her anxieties.

Aria was overcome with this sudden wave of restlessness that wouldn't let her fall asleep. This was stupid. She should be with Ezra right now, their time together was not eternal and Aria could feel the clock ticking away on them, putting an end to their infinity. She had spent the evening with her family, all crowded around the dinner table discussing Aria's impending send off to college. She enjoyed the time with her family and could honestly say that she was excited to go, but now that the sun had set and the dishes had been cleaned and put away, there was no reason for her to stay the night.

"What are you doing right now?" Aria asked impulsively over the phone, quickly changing the subject.

"Um, laying in bed, talking to you... Why?"

"Can I come over?" Aria knew it was impulsive and a bit daft, not to mention the potential trouble she could get into if her parents found out, but she needed him,"I just really need to see you, and I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep without seeing you tonight," Not waiting for an answer, Aria got off her bed and started to pull on a pair of sweatpants over her boy shorts and look around for a jacket.

"Yeah, I'll- I'll pick out a movie or something?"  
Aria wasn't really surprised by the lack of usual protest that would follow a request that she just made. Both of them were acutely aware of how little time remained for them to do things like spend nights together.

"I kind of just want to skip to the part of the night when we end up making out on your couch."

"Okay," Aria could feel Ezra smile through the phone, holding back laughter at his girlfriends blunt nature.

"See ya in fifteen," Aria replied, smiling widely.

"I'll be on the couch," the two quickly exchanged their goodbyes before Aria quickly shoved her phone into the pockets of her sweatpants.  
Aria quickly pulled on one Ezra's Hollis hoodies she had stolen and went down stairs to get her keys and quickly sneak out of her house to go see Ezra.


End file.
